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Politics & Government

Concord Celebrates Independence Day with Car Show, Parade and Festival

Start the independence Thursday, June 30, with a vintage car show and the Elvis Show Band.

July 4, you see, starts with June 30.

Thursday, June 30, kicks off Concord’s independence week with the annual vintage car show. The long, free weekend finishes with the annual parade and festival on Monday, July 4 at Todos Santos Plaza in downtown Concord.

“Cool Concord Cars” on June 30 features well-loved and restored vintage and muscle cars, pre-1973, on display around Todos Santos Plaza, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Car owners will be on hand to show off their restoration work and talk about auto-inspired adventures.

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The regular Thursday farmers market will be in the plaza from 4 to 8 p.m. with James Clark and the Elvis Show Band taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. Think about it: classic Elvis tunes while vintage cars circle the plaza.

On Monday, July 4th, the annual Independence Day festival begins at 8 a.m. in Todos Santos Plaza with a pancake breakfast hosted by Concord Diablo Rotary Club. Tickets are $5.

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The Concord Police Association will host the second annual  Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the run begins at 8:30 a.m. The run/walk benefits the Monument Crisis Center and the Concord Police Association's Community Fund that supports charities and community programs.

The parade steps off an hour and a half earlier this year, at 10 a.m., from the Park 'N Shop Shopping Center on Willow Pass Road and circles Todos Santos Plaza. The Todos Santos Business Association is presenting the parade, supported in part by Tesoro Refinery.

The parade also features the international award-winning Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps B, and a special float honoring, the “Lemon Lady” who has fed the hungry and been profiled in People magazine.

News anchor Ann Notarangelo of CBS5 and local emcee Jeff Kasper will provide parade commentary from the reviewing stand.

The parade is televised live on Concord Cable TV channel 28 (Comcast) and 29 (Astound) and on AT&T U-verse, channel 99. It can also be seen on the city’s website, www.cityofconcord.org.

Free parking is available in the municipal parking garage on Salvio Street between Grant and Colfax streets and in the Todos Santos Parking Center at the corner of Concord Ave. and Salvio St.

For parade information, contact the Todos Santos Business Association (925) 521-9922. For other questions, call the Downtown Hotline, (925) 671-3464 or contact Downtown Program Manager Florence Weiss, (925) 671-3403.

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